The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has announced a first round of racial equity grants.

As part of a five-year, $500 million commitment announced in December, CZI will award a total of $30 million by the end of the year to organizations led by or working in support of communities of color, with a focus on cultivating leaders, tackling outcome disparities, shaping policies, and advancing institutional change. Initial recipients of the grants include the Anti-Racism and Intersectional Justice Fund, which was established by the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund in 2020 to address the spike in anti-Asian violence and hate crimes; two Borealis Philanthropy collaborative funds, the Racial Equity to Accelerate Change (REACH) Fund and the Transforming Movements Fund (TMF); the Othering & Belonging Institute, which brings together researchers, organizers, stakeholders, communicators, and policy makers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society; and the Seventh Generation Fund for Indigenous Peoples, which is dedicated to Indigenous Peoples' self-determination and the sovereignty of Native nations.

"Embedding a racial equity lens across CZI's philanthropic areas of focus will help us drive the impact and results that we are all working to achieve," said Belinda Stubblefield, CZI's head of diversity, equity, and inclusion. "As part of this critical work, we are engaging changemakers, community members, and movement builders with deep expertise and lived experience as partners, helping to shape our strategies and actions. We are dedicated to this work for the long term."